The Princess Gleek
by Delilah Dreamer
Summary: Sam and Rachel are all grown up with children of their own. What happens when Sam is telling them a bedtime story? S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure gets a bit gleeky.
1. Prologue

It was a typical Friday night at the Evans' family apartment. Rachel was out at the theatre getting ready to perform in front of a sold out audience, and Sam was at home getting their five year-old twins, Joseph and Kailyn, ready for bed. He would have liked to share this time with his wife, but he knew she was out following her dreams, so he gladly did this on his own.

After a bath, a visit from the tickle monster, two picture books, and numerous trips to the bathroom for cups of water, Sam finally got the two rambunctious kids to lie down and go to bed. He hugged and kissed them goodnight, flipped on the nightlight, and shut the door, leaving them to fall asleep. He then went back to his own room and climbed into bed, picking up the book he had been reading for the past week. He had just enough time to read the last chapter before he heard the sounds of little feet running down the hall.

"Shouldn't you two be in bed?" Sam asked when he shut his book and looked up to see the twins standing hand in hand in his doorway. Kailyn had the thumb of her free hand jammed in her mouth.

"Can't sleep, daddy," Joseph told him. "There are monsters in there. We want to stay in here with you." Kailyn nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

Sam had a weak spot when it came to his kids. He could almost never say no to them. "Come on. Get in here," he said with a sigh and a smile motioning for them to hop in bed with him. He scooted over so he was in the center of the King sized bed with Joseph and Kailyn on either side of him. "You two have to go to sleep if I let you stay in here though."

"Mommy called you Farm Boy this morning, and you called her Princess," Kailyn said as she snuggled up to her daddy. "Why?"

"We just have little nicknames for each other," Sam replied. "It's like how I call you my little munchkin."

"Why those nicknames though?" Joseph asked.

"It's a long story, kiddo."

"We like stories, daddy," the little blond girl smiled up at her daddy.

"I thought we were going to go to sleep?"

"We wanna hear the story, daddy," the young brunette boy told him. "Please?"

"Please daddy?" she said sticking out her lower lip and giving him a pouty face that made his heart melt.

"Oh alright," Sam sighed. "I'll tell you the story. It's a really special one, too."

"Really?" the twins asked in unison.

"Yes really. It's a classic tale of true love and high adventure. It's got everything. Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles."

"It sounds amazing!" Kailyn exclaimed.

"It is," Sam replied pulling his kids as close to him as possible. "Now, it all starts in the kingdom of Lima, Ohio . . ."


	2. Chapter 1

It all started in the kingdom of Lima, Ohio. A young woman, no more than seventeen, who went by the name of Rachel Berry lived in a small cottage there with her two fathers. Rachel was easily the most beautiful girl in all the land, but her beauty went unnoticed. Instead of spending her time around the boys in town like many of the other girls, her days were spent riding her horse around the farm that her fathers owned and singing to her heart's content. Other than singing, the one true joy she had in life was ordering the farm boy around.

The farm boy's name was Sam, but she never called him that. He was always farm boy. And her bossy nature came out the most when she was around him.

"Farm boy!" she would call to him as she would make her way over to the shed behind her house where the farm boy lived. "Farm boy, I need you to chop some wood for my fathers. I expect this basket to be filled and sitting on my doorstep when I return from my morning ride." Then she would place the basket at Sam's feet to wait for his response, and he would give her the same one every single time.

"As you wish." That's the only thing that he would ever say to her. No matter what she told him to do, he would always respond with "As you wish."

And she would watch him from afar. As she would ride her horse around the land her fathers owned, singing a little melody that only she knew softly to herself, she would watch him perform whatever tasks she gave him with ease. She admired his work ethic. At least, that's what she thought kept her watching him.

One particularly hot morning, Rachel headed out to Sam's shed with several empty buckets. "Farm boy!" she called to him as she neared the spot where he was working. "My fathers request that you head over to the well and fill these buckets for them. Then, they want you to bathe the horses and cows. I'll come to check on your progress later. Do this as soon as you possibly can . . . please." That was the first time she had ever said please to him. She didn't know why she had said it. It had never seemed necessary before. But today was different.

"As you wish," he told her before bending over and taking a couple of the buckets at her feet. He then headed off to the well. As her horse needed a bath, she couldn't go riding as she normally did. Instead, she wandered back up to the house. Waiting for her at the door was one of her fathers and three girls from in town.

"Rachel darling," her father started, "I need you to take these girls over to Sam's shed where we keep the fresh milk from the cows. They've already paid their bits of silver for a bottle each. Normally, I would have Sam do this job for me, but you've already sent him down to the well."

"Of course father," Rachel replied before turning to head off towards the shed waiting for the girls to follow her. They weren't hiding their displeasure at the fact that they were being led around by Rachel instead of Sam. About halfway to the shed, the girls must have realized that Rachel got to spend a lot of time around him, and their demeanors changed.

"Do you get to spend a lot of time with him?" one of the girls asked. "Do you talk to him? What's he like?"

"Who? The farm boy?" Rachel asked in reply as she wondered why anyone would want to know about him. He wasn't a very interesting person. "I see him every day when he does his chores. He has a very good work ethic, and he takes directions well. As for speaking to him, that doesn't happen much. I don't think he has many words. The only talking we do is when I tell him what his chores are, and then he'll always reply with 'as you wish.' I don't think I've ever heard him say anything else."

The girls giggled and whispered amongst themselves when Rachel stopped talking. She thought them ridiculous for getting themselves in a tizzy over the farm boy when he was nothing special, so she ignored them. Upon reaching the shed, Rachel realized that there was no milk to sell left. She grabbed a few empty bottles from the shelf and told the girls to follow her to the barn instead. She was going to have to milk the cows herself.

She told herself that milking the cows would be easy enough. If the farm boy could do it, so could she. But when she was placed upon the stool before the cow the way he always was, Rachel found herself completely puzzled as to what to do. Just as she was about to take the udder in her hand and embarrass herself with her lack of knowledge, Sam was seen making his way towards the open barn doors with the buckets of water. It was then that she noticed he had taken his shirt off due to the heat, and for the first time, she noticed his muscles glistening with sweat in the sunlight. This set the girls behind her off giggling again. Rachel wished that they would just leave or at least be quiet. They were starting to give her a headache.

"Farm boy!" she called once Sam was in earshot. "I need you to come here for a moment." After setting the buckets down in the barn's doorway, he headed over to the spot where Rachel was sitting and looked down at her waiting for instructions. "I need you to milk this cow and fill up one bottle each for these girls. There was nothing left in the shed. Please do this for me now." There she went saying please to him again. It was almost strange to here that word coming from her mouth when talking to him. "I shall stay here and watch you do it so that I'll know what to do in the future. Then I needn't take you away from more important chores."

"As you wish," he replied. However, instead of waiting for Rachel to move off the stool like she expected him to, he pulled her onto his lap and guided her hands to the udder. "So you'll know for next time," he told her in what was barely loud enough to be a whisper. A chill ran up her spine, and she could feel the goose bumps forming on her arms. With her hands in his, he milked the cow with ease letting his body show hers how she was supposed to do it.

The milk bottles were filled in no time at all, and Sam was soon sliding Rachel off of his lap and onto the stool again. When he handed the girls their bottles without a single word, Rachel couldn't help but notice that the girls had their hands all over him, touching his arms and chest and batting their eyelashes at him as if he were God's gift to women. 'He's just the farm boy,' she thought. 'What's so special about him?'

The girls left after it became clear that Sam wasn't going to talk to them, and they ran away giggling yet again.

"Now that they're gone," Rachel started, "please get back to work on the tasks my father had me give to you. I'll be back later to see how you're doing."

She then got up from the stool and headed back towards the house, almost missing his normal reply of "as you wish."

Later that evening, Rachel lied awake in bed. Something had been puzzling her all day, and she had to figure it out. That puzzling item was why those girls seemed so infatuated with Sam. She kept telling herself that he was just the farm boy and he was nothing special. But if he was nothing special, why would those girls have dissolved into a giggling mess whenever they saw him or even mentioned his name?

It couldn't have been because he was smart. He never talked. Before that whisper while they were sitting behind the cow, she had never heard him say anything other than that simple three word phrase. He mostly nodded or gestured when he wanted to tell her anything. His intellect obviously wasn't the appeal.

Then she thought of what she admired about him. He had a fantastic work ethic, and he always followed her directions to the letter. That couldn't possibly be why they seemed to like him though. That was a quality that one desired when they were looking for help not a potential husband, right?

Recalling how they kept touching him, she figured it must be his looks. But were his looks all that special? His skin had a healthy glow, and he was quite muscular, but anyone would look like that if they spent all day working in the hot sun like he did. His lips were a bit larger than normal, but they seemed to add to his face rather than take away from it. His hair was blond and a bit shaggy, falling into his face and hiding his eyes on occasion. To her, that was just a sign that he needed a haircut because his eyes were his best feature in her opinion. They were this pale shade of gray-green, almost like the sea after a storm. His eyes were expressive, and they said so much more than the few words he spoke ever could. With that she decided that it must be his eyes that interested them. It was the only explanation.

The more she thought about the way the other girls acted around Sam, the more frustrated she became. Why couldn't they go and fawn over the other boys in town, and leave hers alone? She stopped herself after that thought. Did she really just refer to him as "her boy?" Impossible. But the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She remembered the feeling she got when he pulled her onto her lap. That chill and the goose bumps weren't entirely from shock as she once suspected. They were caused by pleasure. That's why she kept saying please to him. That's why she liked to watch him work.

And that's when she knew. Rachel was in love with Sam. And she needed to tell him soon. He had to know about her before the other girls could spark his interest. She just didn't know how to tell him.


	3. Just an Update!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's taking me so long to get Chapter 2 up for you. As a creative writing major, I have a lot of other writing assignments with actual deadlines, so The Princess Gleek has been put on the back burner. I've started writing Chapter 2, an I hope to have it finished sometime in the next week or so. I brought the book nd the movie to college with me, so I have my work resources.

I thought I'd give you guys a special treat to make up for the long wait. So, without further ado, I present to you the full cast list of The Princess Gleek:

Westley ~ Sam Evans

Princess Buttercup ~ Rachel Berry

Prince Humperdink ~ Jesse St. James

Count Rugen (the six-fingered man) ~ Dave Karofsky

Inigo Montoya ~ Santana Lopez

Fezzik ~ Finn Hudson

Vizzini ~ Jacob Ben Israel

Miracle Max ~ Noah Puckerman

Valerie ~ Quinn Fabray

The Impressive Clergyman ~ Brittany Pierce

The Captain of the Guard ~ Mike Chang

The Albino ~ Tina Cohen-Chang

If you have any suggestions at all for the story, please let me know. I have most of it mapped out. I just need to figure out how to present it. Like I said, I hope to have the next chapter up soon, so stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 2

Rachel didn't sleep a wink that night. Instead, she spent those restless hours tossing and turning while her thoughts wandered and led her to think of Sam. She loved him; she didn't know the how or the why, but she loved him. It was almost as if she was drawn to him by some unexplainable cosmic force. She had to tell him. She had to let her feelings out, or she would be plagued with more sleepless nights.

When the sun rose, Rachel knew that Sam would be waking up to start his morning chores. Still in her nightdress and slippers, she ran down to his shed and knocked on the door. When he answered the door a moment later, he wasn't wearing a shirt, and the memories of those muscles pressed up against her back rushed back into her head. She felt her knees go weak. After taking a second to collect herself before she started to speak.

"Farm b . . . Sam," she corrected herself. If she loved him like she knew she did, she should call him by his name. "Sam, I need to talk to you."

"As you wish."

She took his words as permission to continue, so she spoke up once again. "Now this may come as a surprise to you – it surely came as a surprise to me - but I love you. I only just realized it last night, but I'm sure I've loved you for the longest time. Yet the love I felt for you last night can barely hold a candle to the love I feel for you now. With every passing hour, I felt my love growing, and still it grows! Why, my love for you must have doubled in size since I arrived here at your doorstep. I know it may be hard to believe, but it's true. How shall I prove it to you? I know! You know how much I hate taking orders, but if you were to only wish for me to do something for you, I would do it. If you were to ask me to jump, I would ask how high. If you were to ask me to sing, I would ask what song you'd like to hear, and if I didn't know the song, I would learn it and perfect it for you. And if you were to ask me for a kiss? Well, I would kiss you without a moment's hesitation. Just say the word, and I'm yours. I love you, Sam. I love you more than I ever thought I could love another person. Oh dearest Sam. Wonderful Sam. Say that you love me in return for that's all I could ever want from you. Say that you love me and let my heart soar." She stopped talking and waited for his answer. He responded by shutting the door in her face.

As she ran back to her room in tears, Rachel could feel her heart sinking. She had offered all of her love and her whole heart up to him, and he had crushed it all within a few seconds. Collapsing on her bed, she vowed to never admit her feelings of true love ever again, and she cursed Sam for humiliating her like that.

She soon fell asleep not wanting to deal with the day and hoping that when she woke up in the morning this would all be some horrible nightmare. But it was a restless sleep. One filled with tossing and turning and visions of that door slamming in her face over and over again.

And as the night started to fall, a knock on the door tore her away from that restless slumber.

"Who is it?" she called out as she climbed off her bed and headed towards the door.

"It's Sam," the voice behind the door replied.

"Sam? Do I even know a Sa . . . Oh! You mean Farm Boy! Of course. Silly me."

But as soon as she opened the door and saw him standing there before her, the air of superiority she'd thrown on to mask the pain of rejection she was feeling melted away. She softened at the sight of him, and she knew that she loved him more than she did that morning when she was confessing her love to him that morning.

"Is there something you wanted?" she asked.

"I'm leaving in the morning . . ."

"Oh, don't leave because of the little joke I played on you this morning," she told him feeling her heart drop. "It was just a silly little joke. You don't have to go."

"There's a boat leaving for America first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll be on it," he replied. "And when I get there, I'll make my fortune. As soon as I have enough for a home and a bed, enough money to put a roof over our heads and feed us, enough money to start a family, I'll send for you. And we can be happy together."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"This morning, when you came to my hut, you finally returned my feelings for you. Everything I'd done to catch your attention had worked, and you finally felt for me the way that I felt for you."

"Everything you've done?"

"Everything I've done has been for you. I've trained myself to only need four hours of sleep a night so I could use that extra time to better myself. I read everything that I could that I could get my hands on because I thought you might like a man with an intelligent mind. I did everything I could to build up my strength and tone myself because I thought that you might like a man with an attractive physique. I always took extra special care to your horse in the hopes that you would take notice and realize what a hard worker I was." He stepped forward slightly and took her hands in his. "And every single day, every single thing I spoke to you, I professed my love to you."

"But you've never once told me that you love me."

"But I have. It was all that ever left my lips. It was all I ever said to you."

"But all you've ever said to me was 'As you wish.' That was your answer to everything."

"You've been hearing me wrong. You were deaf to my love for so long that you were deaf to what I was really saying. Every time I said 'As you wish,' I was really telling you that 'I love you.'"

"But you've never actually said it to me."

"You want to hear me say it? Alright, I'll say it. I love you. Louder? _I love you. _Would you like to hear it again? I love you. Backwards? You love I. Spell it for you even? I ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you."

"You're just teasing me now," she pouted.

"Maybe a little, but everything I say is true. I do love you, Rachel, and I want nothing more than to make you happy for the rest of your life."

"I can clearly see that now. And I vow now to never love another. Only Sam. Until I die."

"And I the same for you," he replied. "I should go back to my hut to prepare my things. My ship does leave first thing in the morning."

"Promise you'll write me?"

"Every day. Twice a day even."

"Alright. Then goodbye my love."

"Goodbye," he replied as he let go of her hands and headed towards the door.

She wanted to just wait and watch him go, but soon the words were pouring out of her. "Without one kiss?"

The fell into each other's arms, and he held her close to him through the night. But soon it became absolutely necessary for him to tear himself away from her.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered as he stood up from his spot on the bed. "What if something happens to you?"

"I'll always come for you," he replied as he pulled her up with him.

"But how can you be sure?"

"This is true love. You think it happens every day?" And with that, he pulled her into one last kiss goodbye. "I'll write you the second I'm on the boat. Goodbye my love."

"Goodbye Sam."

It was at least a week before his first letter arrived, but it was filled his love and how much he missed her. He talked of the ship taking him to America, the people he encountered, and everything that he did each day. But mostly, he wrote of how he longed to have her there with him.

The letters came steadily. One letter every other day or so. But all of a sudden, the letters abruptly stopped, and even though she was sure of Sam's love for her, Rachel was convinced that he'd found someone else. Someone who would love him even more than she did if that was possibly.

One week passed by. Then two. And then a third. And then the news came.

She had woken up after a night of sleep filled with dreams of Sam kissing other women and telling those that he loved them more than he could ever love Rachel, so she wasn't in the best of moods. And as she neared the kitchen, she overheard her fathers talking to each other.

"She's going to be devastated when she hears the news," one said.

"She already thinks he's fallen for another. Maybe we shouldn't tell her what happened and let her believe that's the truth instead," the other replied.

"You must be joking. It would hurt her even more to think he was alive and in love with another."

"Well, I don't think we should tell her."

"Well, I would want to know if I was in her position."

"It's just so upsetting. I'm sure they never saw it coming."

"How could they? It's not as if the Dread Pirate Roberts advertises where he's going to be at any given time."

"Do you think Sam might have survived?"

"It's doubtful. The Dread Pirate Roberts never takes prisoners."

That's all Rachel needed to hear before she was running back to her room in tears. Her Sam had been killed by pirates, and she was never going to see him again.

She remembered the vow she'd made to him the night before he left, nd she knew she had to keep it now.

"I'll never love again."

And she never did.


	5. Chapter 3

The King of Lima's health was deteriorating, and miracle man after miracle man was brought in by the Queen. Anything for her husband.

But it was all for not. No matter what herbal remedies and treatments were tried, the king grew sicker still. It was then decided that the king's only son would have to take over and soon.

However, there was a problem with this plan. To become the king, the prince would have to be married, and that was a much greater challenge.

While Prince Jesse St. James was an attractive young man with his bright eyes and wavy golden brown hair, he was incredibly hard to deal with to say the least. He was critical of those around him to the point where it went from constructive to cruelty. The only things he cared about were singing and hunting, and he couldn't be bothered to associate with those who didn't enjoy his past times as well.

His parents had wanted him to marry the princess of Westerville so that the two feuding countries could form an alliance, but when Jesse found out that she not only disapproved of the recreational killing of animals but also happened to be terribly tone deaf, he refused the union.

"I demand a woman worthy of a man of my position," he mused. "She must be beautiful. She must be musically inclined. And she must be able to deal with the fact that I won't be around often."

His best friend and close confidant, Count Karofsky, spoke up next. "Your Highness, I think I know of a maiden who possesses the qualities that you desire. I have heard of a girl who lives in your kingdom. The daughter of the most successful dairy farmers around . . ."

"A milk maid? You're wasting my time."

"Oh, but she's more than just a milk maid. They say that her beauty is unmatched by any of the other girls, and she sings to herself as she does her chores. I am certain that you will find a suitable bride in this girl."

While the prince trusted his friend's judgment of the girl, he was a bit wary of it. For you see, he knew his close friend would never lie to him, but Count Karofsky was not married, and he had never been with a woman to the prince's knowledge. And that made him less inclined to take the Count's suggestion.

"I must see her for myself," he said. "And if she is truly what you say she is, I shall make her my bride."

The very next day, the prince took the royal carriage down to the dairy farm of the milk maid's fathers. Avoiding the puddles of muddy water on the dirt road, the prince climbed out of the carriage and made his way up the path to the front of the house. A few quick knocks and a couple minutes later, the door was opened, and one of the milk maid's fathers was bowing before the prince.

"You majesty, what brings you to our humble little dairy farm?"

"I wish to see your daughter. I have something that I need to discuss with her."

"I'll take you to her right away," the dairy farmer said as he started to lead the prince down a different path outside of the house. A path that led back to the barn and dairy sheds. "I hope she hasn't done anything to offend you, your majesty. She's changed slightly since her loss, and it wasn't a change for the better. If she has been cold to you or insulting in any way at all, I can assure you that it will not happen again."

"What? No. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your daughter just yet. I simply must speak to her though. It is of the utmost importance."

"Of course, your majesty."

They soon arrived at what appeared to be a rundown dairy shack. Something that could have been living quarters for any help that had been needed on the farm.

"She spends most of her time in here. Her father and I can rarely get her to leave. Feel free to take as much time with her as you like. Maybe she'll talk to you."

The prince stepped inside of the dairy shack and took in his surroundings. The far wall was lines with shelves holding empty milk bottles. What appeared to be a rather dirty mattress was lying on the ground in one of the corners, a blanket or two in a heap on top of it. The floor was filthy and covered with straw and dirt clumps, and it was quite obvious that it hadn't been cleaned in a very long time. The one window in the room was caked with grime barely letting in any light.

One thing seemed out of place to him though. And that was the woman sitting in a rocking chair towards the back. There was a sad look in her eyes as she stared at the piece of paper in her hand, and she was by far the most beautiful woman that the prince had ever seen. Count Karofsky had not been mistaken in his judgment after all.

"A suitable looking queen," he thought. "Now to find out if she fits the other standards."

"What is your name?" he called out asking her after staring for a moment or two.

"Rachel," she replied looking up and noticing the prince for the first time. The piece of paper in her hand was quickly folded up and tucked away in the folds of her dress. Unlike her father before her, she didn't bow before him. She stayed in her chair and waited for him to speak again.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"You're Prince Jesse St. James. Heir to the throne of Lima."

"That is correct. I am your prince, and it is customary for you to bow before me."

"And I am your subject. I make the choice to stay seated."

"Do you sing at all?"

"I used to. I was once told that my voice had a way of enchanting people. I was told that people would hear me sing and would instantly be drawn to me like a moth to a flame. I suppose that I was talented."

"Would you sing for me now?"

"No."

"You dare deny your prince again? You're treading on dangerous waters, miss."

"I cannot fulfill your request. I don't deny you by choice," she replied as she gazed out the filthy window. "The music in me died several years ago, and it has seen no reason to come back sense."

"Pity. It would have given me much pleasure to hear such a grand voice."

There was silence in the room.

"You're quite beautiful, you know."

"I've been told that before."

"And I, myself, am quite attractive. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I hadn't noticed."

"We would make beautiful children together, don't you think?"

"I suppose so."

"Then marry me and provide me with an heir to the throne when I die."

"No thank you."

"And there you go denying your prince again. You are aware that to refuse a marriage proposal from your prince is an act punishable by death, aren't you?"

"I was not," she replied. There was no feeling in her voice. "If that is the case, could you kill me quickly? I don't really wish to be living a second longer."

He was startled by her response. He wasn't used to girls not wanting to be with him. He was a prince after all. That made him highly desirable.

"And why does death seem better than being married to a prince? I could give you everything that you've ever wanted."

"You couldn't. The only thing I want was killed by pirates several years ago. Even a prince cannot bring back the dead."

"And who, may I ask, is dead?"

"His name was Sam, and he was my truest love. Not even a prince could compare to him."

"I think you're being quite unreasonable here. I could try to make you a happy woman. You deserve epic romance."

"I've had it before, and it didn't end well. I am sworn to never love again."

This was not the reaction he was expecting at all. He'd thought his charm and good looks would have attracted her to him almost instantly. But she was different than any of the other girls who fawned over him on a daily basis.

He had to have her.

"Hear me out," he started as he stepped towards her. "If you marry me, you would be treated like a Queen. You would eventually become the Queen. You would live a life rivaled by every woman in the kingdom. All that you have to do is say that you'll marry me and provide me with an heir to the throne. So what's your choice? Live a life of luxury with me, or die a terrible and painful death sometime in the near future?"

Rachel stood up to her full height of five feet and three inches and looked up into the prince's eyes.  
>"I'll never love you," she told him.<p>

"I wouldn't want it if I had it."

"Then, by all means, let us marry."

One thing led to another, and several years passed. The king still wasn't at all well, but he was still alive much to the surprise of everyone involved.

The day of the engagement announcement finally arrived, and everyone in the kingdom gathered in the square to see the woman that their prince had chosen to be his bride.

"My people!" the prince addressed the crowd that had gathered in the square from the castle balcony. "This day has been long coming. Today is the day that I shall present to you your future queen. When I first found her, she was nothing more than a commoner like yourselves. You will not find her so common now. So without further ado, I present to you, Princess Rachel."

As her name was announced, trumpets sounded, and Rachel stepped out towards the prince from her spot at the balcony's doorway. He took her by the hand and led her to the front so she could gaze upon her subjects. She smiled and waved down at the crowd as she moved into the spot that the prince had guided her to. However, her smile did not reach her eyes. The people in the square may not have noticed because of the distance, but the prince did.

"Buck up, darling," he whispered to her. "Your new life is beginning today."

"Then why do I feel so dead inside?"

"That will soon change. I'm sure of it."

"And I doubt it highly," she replied. "I wish to go riding when we're through here."

"Anything for you, my darling."

But if Rachel had known what was waiting for her in that crowd, she would have chosen to stay inside that day. But how could she have known that of the hundreds of people in the square, four had plans to kidnap her, and three of those four planned to end her life?


End file.
